WINNIPEG – Over 750 employees will be let go in early 2006 as part of a multi-faceted push to cut costs at MTS Allstream.
Calling it the “Transition Phase II Plan” which will “position the company to grow profitably in the rapidly changing telecommunications industry,” the Winnipeg-based provincial telco – and CLEC when outside of Manitoba through its Allstream division – announced today it “is targeting a minimum of $100 million in expense savings over the next two years,” in the press release.
"We have a long tradition of successfully capitalizing on change at our company," said CEO Bill…
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VANCOUVER – Wireless and wireline operations at Telus Corp. will be combined under one executive roof, the company announced this morning.
The integration (which the company had taken stabs at in the past, sources told cartt.ca) really moved forward quickly with the departure of Telus Mobility president George Cope to Bell Canada a month ago, and “is consistent with Telus’ national growth strategy to provide integrated solutions that differentiate Telus from its competitors,” says the press release.
“The change positions Telus to leverage the ongoing convergence between wireless and wireline technology and Telus’ continual focus on operational efficiency…
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MISSISSAUGA – “After months of suffering with substandard phone service, British Columbians can now fire their phone company in favour of a better choice,” said Vonage Canada on Wednesday – taking a shot at the incumbent, Telus, and its recent labour woes.
The U.S. VOIP company announced the availability of its flat-rate service to six new communities in British Columbia beyond Vancouver and Victoria, where Vonage is currently available. These new communities are: Penticton, Abbotsford, Kamloops, Kelowna, Richmond, and Vernon.
"Over the last couple of months residents of BC have seen a considerable reduction in the level of service…
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TORONTO – When Maclean’s magazine was able to buy the supposedly confidential phone records of Jennifer Stoddart, Canada’s Privacy Commissioner, and publish a cover story last week on what looks like a potentially scary security loophole, the big three wireless carriers – all of whom were mentioned in the article – sprang into action.
And, with each company counting on huge wireless growth in the Christmas season and throughout 2006 and 2007 (all companies saw record levels of subscriber growth in 2005) all moved quickly to try and repair the damage.
First out of the gate was Bell Canada….
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VANCOUVER – Telecommunications Workers Union members voted 64.1% in favor of the latest contract offer from Telus, finally ending the four-month-long strike.
The company and union had a negotiated settlement in October but it was narrowly defeated during the initial in-person vote (50.3% voted against the deal last time around.
In this mail-in ballot, 10,566 members voted (about 1,500 more than last time, 7,258 in favour of the deal.
The terms and conditions of the new collective agreement now become effective as of November 20, 2005. 64.1 per cent of the 10,566 employees who voted during the ratification process…
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TORONTO – Think Broadband Solutions was officially launched this week by Tri-Vision Electronics.
The new, wholly-owned subsidiary “will focus on new telecom and wireless business opportunities and to complement Tri-Vision Electronics Inc.,” says the company.
Think will provide in-country equipment sales and supply, logistical support, niche product research, design and development, in-house and offshore manufacturing capabilities and equipment test, repair and refurbishment. Progress is well underway to represent major brand names in Canada, says the press release.
In fact, the company announced yesterday that it will offer Andrew Corporation subscriber access cable products including CATV coaxial cable and connectors for…
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VANCOUVER – In lieu of Telus’ Employee Charitable Giving Campaign (ECGC) for 2005, Telus Communications has decided to provide 100% of this year’s funding, $2 million.
Funding is normally provided through the annual campaign, which encourages employees and retirees to make charitable contributions that are matched by Telus dollar for dollar. For 2005, the company will provide all of the funding.
Last year, as part of the 2004 ECGC, Telus employees and retirees donated $1 million, which was matched by the company for a total of $2 million that was disbursed to charities in communities across Canada.
However, because of…
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TORONTO – CanWest Interactive has acquired certain assets of CanadianRetail.com, the largest online recruiting site for the retail sector in Canada, from Bjork Enterprises Limited.
The purchase included the domain name of CanadianRetail.com, customer contracts and intellectual property contained on the web site. Tre price of the transaction was not disclosed.
The acquisition is part of the strategy of CanWest Interactive’s working.com to provide both employers and job seekers with relevant local search results and depth in specific employment verticals. Similar deals this year included a partnership with Nurses4Ontario as well as the New Car Dealers Association of British Columbia….
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SCARBOROUGH – Telus Mobility clients in five major urban centres across Canada can now access the Internet, e-mail servers and other data networks at speeds at least six times faster than previous mobile data services.
Telus’ wireless high speed offers customers in Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, “broadband data access they’ve become accustomed to on their desktops, but now they can take that speed on the road. With typical download speeds of 400 to 700 kilobits per second, and possible speeds of more than 2 megabytes per second, Telus Mobility’s Wireless High Speed network offers clients the speed…
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TORONTO – While Telus was announcing the roll-out of its newer, faster wireless EVDO network in five major Canadian cities, Bell Canada today announced the availability of its new EVDO network in Western Canada, Telus’ back yard.
The technology is the third generation (3G) of wireless networks and delivers data at unprecedented download rates of up to 2.4Mbps.
Bell Mobility users in Vancouver, British Columbia and both Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta (same cities Telus has its EVDO launched) “will now immediately enjoy the benefits of a 3G network, related products and services,” says the press release.
Bell’s EV-DO network…
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